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Our Roasting Story
"Coffee roasting at its best is an artisan interpretation of superb agricultural ingredients—the coffee equivalent of wine-making."
Sourcing the finest 100% arabica beans is only the first step to bringing you the best coffees possible. It's our roasters' responsibility to capture the special nuances in each variety. They roast our beans in small batches, carefully watching and listening as the beans pop, ensuring that each variety's potential is fully developed.
Perhaps the most confusing aspect of roasting is the terminology. There are no standardized terms within the trade, so one company's French roast can be the same as another's full city.
On the two extremes of the roasting spectrum, coffee flavors are relatively simple. Very light roasts, the "cinnamon" roast of much American canned coffee, have a grassy, cereal grain flavor. Pitch dark roasts have a carbonized, smoky flavor that is pure roast. Between these two extremes is an endless range of flavorful possibilities. While we do offer a wide range of roasts, we predominately feature our classic full city roast style to highlight all the inherent regional flavors of each origin, notably free from smoky bitterness.
Full City (Light)
For most coffees, this is a deep chestnut brown color with little or no oil on the bean surface. This roast results in maximum varietal flavor and aroma.
Vienna (Medium)
The lightest of the dark roasts. These coffees are a rich brown color with natural coffee oils on the surface. Body is in the foreground, supported by a firm core of lively acidity.
Espresso (Medium-Dark)
Deep but not dark, this roast is to full city what a fine vintage port is to still wine. Plush body in the foreground, with just a trace of supporting acidity and varietal nuances still subtly present.
French Roast (Dark)
At this stage, varietal flavors have been burned off and are replace with the smoky power of the roasting
process. Intense, spicy, yet light in body.
Extra Dark French (Dark)
Powerful and smoky with an almost ebony appearance that's one step away from incineration! Although this coffee pushes the limits of carbonization, some people really love its peat-like character.